Jennifer Acker's Blog, page 74
August 6, 2021
Friday Reads: August 2021
ELLY HONG
For our August round of Friday Reads, we spoke to three alums of The Common’s Literary Publishing Internship. Their recommendations delve into trauma, failure, and purposelessness, but all include notes of hope.
For our August round of Friday Reads, we spoke to three alums of The Common’s Literary Publishing Internship. Their recommendations delve into trauma, failure, and purposelessness, but all include notes of hope.
August 5, 2021
Most Read Pieces of Summer 2021
As fall approaches, we want to celebrate the pieces that made this summer so special! Below, you can browse our list of summer 2021’s most-read pieces to see which essays, short stories, and poems left an impact on our readers.
Translation: “The House” by José Ardila
JOSÉ ARDILA
After my father’s death, the house became an inexhaustible mystery. Suddenly, these rooms that had been empty all our lives demanded exploration. And for a good long while my mother and I would adventure alone among dust and bugs and old trunks.
After my father’s death, the house became an inexhaustible mystery. Suddenly, these rooms that had been empty all our lives demanded exploration. And for a good long while my mother and I would adventure alone among dust and bugs and old trunks.
August 4, 2021
Sample Lesson Plan for Literature in Translation
In this exercise you will explore the multidimensionality of a poem, essay, or story by “living with” the author and translator: reading and thinking about their work every day for a week. This is a multi-step assignment so read carefully and make sure you plan in advance.
On Accumulation
OLIVE AMDUR
There were tomato plants on the windowsill of the loft where I slept, and at night, when all the lights were out, I could see stars through the screened glass. We stayed only a few days, for momentary distance from the city, heavy with humidity and grief.
There were tomato plants on the windowsill of the loft where I slept, and at night, when all the lights were out, I could see stars through the screened glass. We stayed only a few days, for momentary distance from the city, heavy with humidity and grief.
August 1, 2021
Available Positions with The Common
The Common invites those interested in the world of literary publishing and passionate about contemporary fiction and nonfiction to apply to join our Reading Staff.
July 30, 2021
Podcast: Talia Lakshmi Kolluri on “The Good Donkey”
TALIA LAKSHMI KOLLURI
Talia Lakshmi Kolluri speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her story “The Good Donkey,” which appears in The Common’s spring issue. In this conversation, Kolluri talks about writing fiction from the perspectives of different animals, and where the inspiration for those stories comes from.
Talia Lakshmi Kolluri speaks to managing editor Emily Everett about her story “The Good Donkey,” which appears in The Common’s spring issue. In this conversation, Kolluri talks about writing fiction from the perspectives of different animals, and where the inspiration for those stories comes from.
July 29, 2021
July 2021 Poetry Feature: Burlin Barr
BURLIN BARR
but the wolf tree was there and there was a place where // trophies hung: entire / bodies slung there in semi permanence // turning into everything / imaginable between a fresh body and shit and a variety // of trash; except Otis; he kept his right in front / of the house even
but the wolf tree was there and there was a place where // trophies hung: entire / bodies slung there in semi permanence // turning into everything / imaginable between a fresh body and shit and a variety // of trash; except Otis; he kept his right in front / of the house even
July 28, 2021
Sample Lesson Plans for Literature and Creative Writing Courses
Lesson plans, readings, and resources to inspire your students. Thanks for submitting your email; we’ll be in touch soon with additional resources. Bring The Common into your classroom: poems, essays, stories, and images that provide fresh perspectives on place and placelessness, home and belonging, migration and exile. Our issues frequently feature works in translation and
Histories
SARAH DUNPHY-LELII
I once dated a bull rider, which is very interesting, I still find. He was at the time no longer a bull rider, he had rather been one in his youth, but this lingered, as you might expect.
I once dated a bull rider, which is very interesting, I still find. He was at the time no longer a bull rider, he had rather been one in his youth, but this lingered, as you might expect.
